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Grading Standards (Essays)These grading standards, used in the English departments rhetoric courses,establish four major criteria for evaluation at each grade level: purpose, reasoningand content, organization, and expression. Obviously, every essay will not fit neatlyinto one grade category; some essays may, for instance, have some characteristicsof B and some of C. The final grade the essay receives depends on the weight theinstructor gives each criterion and whether the essay was received on time.

The A Essay1. The A essay fulfills the assignmentand does so in a fresh and mature

manner, using purposeful language that leads to knowledge making. Theessay effectively meets the needs of the rhetorical situation in terms ofestablishing the writers stance, attention to audience, purpose for writing,and sensitivity to context. Furthermore, the writer demonstrates expertise inemploying the artistic appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos appropriately.

2. The topic itself is clearly defined, focused, and supported. The essay has aclear thesis that is supported with specific (and appropriate) evidence,

examples, and details. Any outside sources of information are used carefullyand cited appropriately. The valid reasoning within the essay demonstratesgood judgment and an awareness of the topics complexities.

3. The organizationchronological, spatial, or emphaticis appropriate for thepurpose and subject of the essay. The introduction establishes a context,purpose, and audience for writing and contains a focused thesis statement.

The following paragraphs are controlled by (explicit or implicit) topicsentences; they are well developed; and they progress logically from whatprecedes them. (If appropriate, headings and subheadings are used.) Theconclusion moves beyond a mere restatement of the introduction, offeringimplications for or the significance of the topic.

4. The prose is clear, readable, and sometimes memorable. It contains few

surface errors, none of which seriously undermines the overall effectivenessof the paper for educated readers. It demonstrates fluency in stylisticflourishes (subordination, variation of sentence and paragraph lengths,interesting vocabulary).

The B Essay1. The assignment has been followed and fulfilled. The essay establishes the

writers stance and demonstrates a clear sense of audience, purpose, andcontext.

2. The topic is fairly well defined, focused, and supported. The thesisstatement is adequate (but could be sharpened), especially for the quality ofsupporting evidence the writer has used. The reasoning and support are

thorough and more than adequate. The writer demonstrates a thoughtfulawareness of complexity and other points of view.3. The B essay has an effective introduction and conclusion. The order of

information is logical, and the reader can follow it because of well-chosentransitions and (explicit or implicit) topic sentences. Paragraph divisions arelogical, and the paragraphs use enough specific detail to satisfy the reader.

4. The prose expression is clear and readable. Sentence structure isappropriate for educated readers, including the appropriate use ofsubordination, emphasis, varied sentences, and modifiers. Few sentence-

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level errors (comma splices, fragments, or fused sentences) appear.Vocabulary is precise and appropriate; punctuation, usage, and spellingconform to the conventions of Standardized American English discussed inclass.

The C Essay

1. The assignment has been followed, and the essay demonstrates a measure ofresponse to the rhetorical situation, in so far as the essay demonstrates somesense of audience and purpose.

2. The topic is defined only generally; the thesis statement is also general. Thesupporting evidence, gathered honestly and used responsibly, is,nevertheless, often obvious and easily accessible. The writer demonstrateslittle awareness of the topics complexity or other points of view; therefore,the C essay usually exhibits minor imperfections or inconsistencies indevelopment, organization, and reasoning.

3. The organization is fairly clear. The reader could outline the presentation,despite the occasional lack of topic sentences. Paragraphs have adequatedevelopment and are divided appropriately. Transitions may be mechanical,

but they foster coherence.4. The expression is competent. Sentence structure is relatively simple, relying

on simple and compound sentences. The paper is generally free of sentence-level errors; word choice is correct though limited. The essay contains errorsin spelling, usage, and punctuation that reveal an unfamiliarity with theconventions of Standardized American English discussed in class.

The D Essay1. The D essay attempts to follow the assignment, but demonstrates little

awareness of the rhetorical situation in terms of the writers stance,audience, purpose, and context. For example, the essay might over- orunder-estimate (or ignore) the audiences prior knowledge, assumptions, or

beliefs. The writer may have little sense of purpose.2. The essay may not have any thesis statement, or, at best, a flawed one.

Obvious evidence may be missing, and irrelevant evident may be present.Whatever the status of the evidence, it is inadequately interpreted and restson an insufficient understanding of the rhetorical situation. Or it may rely tooheavily on evidence from published sources without adding original analysis.

3. Organization is simply deficient: introductions or conclusions are not clearlymarked or functional; paragraphs are neither coherently developed norarranged; topic sentences are consistently missing, murky, or inappropriate;transitions are missing or flawed.

4. The D essay may have numerous and consistent errors in spelling, usage, andpunctuation that reveal unfamiliarity with the conventions of StandardizedAmerican English discussed in class (or a lack of careful proofreading).

The F Essay1. The F essay is inappropriate in terms of the purpose of the assignment and

the rhetorical situation. If the essay relates vaguely to the assignment, it hasno clear purpose or direction.

2. The essay falls seriously short of the minimum length requirements;therefore, it is insufficiently developed and does not go beyond the obvious.

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3. The F essay is plagued by more than one of the organizational deficiencies ofa D essay.

4. Numerous and consistent errors of spelling, usage, and punctuation hindercommunication.

5. It may be plagiarized: either it is someone elses essay, or this essay hasused sources improperly and/or without documentation.